Beta-elemene

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For Patients & Caregivers

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Beta-elemene has shown anticancer activity in laboratory studies. More research is needed to study its effects in humans.

Beta-elemene is a compound found in plants such as celery, mint, and in many others used in traditional medicine. Although the pure form is not used as dietary supplement, some cancer patients use herbs high in beta-elemene as treatment. Beta-elemene was shown to prevent growth of cancer cells in laboratory cells by different mechanisms. A few poorly designed studies done in humans showed that it may improve quality of life in cancer patients. It is unclear if raw herbs containing beta-elemene have the same effects in humans. More research is needed.

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Cancer Treatment
Laboratory studies indicate that beta-elemene can stop the growth of cancer cells. A few studies have been done in humans but the results are not reliable. Larger, well designed clinical trials are needed.

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You are undergoing chemotherapy: Beta-elemene may increase the toxicity of chemo drugs, cisplatin and taxanes.

You are undergoing radiotherapy: Beta-elemene may increase the adverse effects of radiation therapy.

For Healthcare Professionals

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Ethenyl-1-methyl-2,4-bis(1-methyl ethenyl) cyclohexane

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Beta-elemene is a volatile terpene found in celery, mint, and in several other herbs used in traditional medicine. Whereas the purified form is generally not used as a dietary supplement because of poor absorption, many patients consume herbs high in beta-elemene in belief that they help cure cancer.

In vitro studies show anti-proliferative effects of beta-elemene in various cancer cells through cell-cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis (3)(4)(5)(16)(17)(19)(20). It also enhanced the activity of cisplatin against prostate cancer cells (18). The parenteral form of beta-elemene isolated from Rhizoma zedoariae, a species of ginger, has been studied in Asia and is reported to relieve pain, decrease the side effects of chemotherapy, and increase the quality of life in cancer patients. However, human trials conducted so far are of poor quality (1)(15).

A systematic review indicates that beta-elemene injection may improve effectiveness of chemotherapy for the treatment of lung cancer (21). However, controlled trials are needed to confirm this observation.

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Rhizoma zedoariae (E Zhu)Curcuma aromatica (Wenyujin)

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Cancer Treatment

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Beta-elemene has been shown to affect cancer cells via different mechanisms. In an in vitro study, following administration of beta-elemene, leukemia cells were arrested in S/G2 phase and underwent apoptosis (2). The antiproliferative effects were dependent on p38 MAPK activation/phosphorylation, cell cycle arrest in G0/G1, and inhibition of tumor growth of glioblastoma cells (3). Beta-elemene also induced G2/M arrest in lung carcinoma cells and ovarian cancer cells by combined reduction of cell-cycle promoters Cdc2 and cyclin B1, and elevated cell cycle regulators p53 and p27 (4)(5). Derivatives of beta-elemene showed antiproliferative activity in human cervical carcinoma cells through a decrease in cell cycle protein Cyclin D1 and thus cell cycle suppression (14). Furthermore, beta-elemene may enhance the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. In non-small cell lung cancer cells, apoptosis was induced by increased expression of Bax and p-Bcl-2, decreased Bcl-2 and XIAP, and augmented cisplatin-induced increases in caspase activity (6). In another study, apoptosis response to the taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel in lung carcinoma cells was enhanced with beta-elemene, through increases in cytochrome c, caspase activity, downregulation of Bcl-2, and altered cell membrane permeability (7). Beta-elemene combined with radiation induced apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma cells, possibly by sensitizing cancer cells to radiation (8).

An in vivo study showed that beta-elemene inhibits growth of lung cancer cells, and up-regulates the expression of the tumor suppressor, P53, and the release of exosome (22). Another proposed mechanism is that beta-elemene reverses the resistance of lung cancer cells to cisplatin via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway (23).

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Chemotherapy: Beta-elemene may increase the activity of cisplatin and taxanes (6)(7).